Building construction



T. J. FosTl-:l

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Dec. 22, 1942.

Filed Feb. 2, 1959 3 sheetshget l 'Dec. 22, 1942.v T, J. FQSTER BUILDING CONSTRUCTION FJ' led Feb. 2, 1939' 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 www V///////T\% A DC- 22, 1942- T. J. FOSTER BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 2, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 www# Patented Dec. 22, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE g BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Thomas J. Foster, Ridgewood, N. J'. Application February 2, 1939, Serial No. 254,288 .11 claims. (Cl. iss-1)' Vand mechanical vibrations originating on one iloor of a building readily penetrate tovall parts of the building.

My invention provides for completely insuv lating each floor from the supporting beams and girders, and from the ceiling and walls beneath,

and for insulating the walls from the floor beams, thereby preventing noises and vibrations in one floor area from being communicated through the walls and metal frame into other parts of the building.

Other aims and advantages of the invention will appear in connectlonwith the description of the illustrative embodiments thereof shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-section through a portion of a building embodying the invention showing a supporting VI-beam and portions of the floor slab and wall and ceiling panelssupported thereby; l

Fig. 2 is a similar ,view of an exterior wall and floor and ceiling 'constructionr Fig. 3 is a cross-section of a part of the ceiling panel on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1;

Figs. `4 and 5 are views similar to Figs. 1 and 2,

respectively, illustrating another type of panel;

and v i 4 Figs. 6 and 7 are vertical cross-sections of another modification of the floor slab and supporting beam, Fig. 6 being taken on the line-B of Fig. 7, and Fig. 7 being taken on the line 'l-1 of Fig. 6, respectively.

In the construction illustrated inFigsl, 2 and 3, the oors are made ofunitary panels Il, each having, two body layers I2 of cementitious material, preferably separated by a middle layer of wood or other continuous sheet material IB1 presenting a smooth surface of any desired appearance and wearing qualities. Fastenings Il, cast into the upper body layer l2 as described in Kmy lcopending application Ser. No),` 252,650 hold the top face in place and firmly secure it to the body layer to form a unitary part of the panel. A layer of waterproof material I8, is

advantageously placed between the -cementitious body layer I2 and the under side of the floor finish to protect the latter from the wet cement during the process of making the panel, and to assist in deadening the sounds and vibrations to which theiloor may be exposed.

The floor panels Il Lare supported attheir edges on the top flanges of the floor *beams I9, Keldur (a rubber like material), rubber or cork strips 2B being inserted between the under faces of the panels and the top faces of the beams to insulate the floors from the beams against passage of sounds and mechanical vibrations in either direction, thereby preventing noise and disturbance on any floor from getting into the u metal frame of the building. The joints between adjacent floor panels may be filled with any suitable plastic material 2| which will prevent entrance of moisture, thereby connecting the panels to form a continuous floor slab.

In all except very low cost buildings a topy a floor construction provides an effective barrier to the passage of sound through theioor slab and into the frame of the building.

The partition panels 25 rest at their lower edges either directly on the' floor slab or on cushion blocks 26 supported on the slab, usually over the beams,wand thus are insulated from the'beams thereby and by the materials of the panels and the sound cushioning strips 2|). The usual mop boards 21 and corner beads 28 may be provided, or other base trim, as desired. These partition panels may be formed as described `in my copending application Ser. No. 252,650, and are preferably principally composed of body layersy 3| separated by insulation 32 and connected by metallic transverse reinforcement( 33 and sheet reinforcement 34 similarly to the floor panels. These partition panels may be made of a length to extend from the floor level to just door finish, in which case it is preferably made 55 below the under faces of the iianged beams I9 supporting the next higher floor, being tied to the latter by metal straps 35 bent around the lower flanges of the beams and nailed or otherwise secured to wooden blocks 38 suitably embedded in the upper edges of the panels. The ends of the strips 35 are nailed or otherwise secured to blocks of Wood or tough material 31 whichv rest upon the lower flanges of the beam |9 and serve to insulate the straps therefrom, these blocks in turn being held in place by the straps 35 and by the ceiling panels 38, as hereinafter described.

Preferably the ceiling panels comprise a layer of cast gypsum or other cementitious material 39, strengthened by continuous reinforcement 40,

and stiifened by channel shape ribs 4|, 43, ofV

reticulated metal, the ribs being partly embedded in `the gypsum layer as illustrated in Fig. 3. Wood blocks 42 may be inserted at spaced inter'- vals between the flanges of the ribs 4|, 43 to provide means to which the reinforcement 40 and rib flanges may be nailed before being embedded in the gypsum in the process of forming the ceiling panels.

The ceiling panels 38 are supported at their ends from the beams I9, below the floor panels and separated therefrom by a space 44 which may be left open or partly filled with loose dry insulating material such as spun glass, comminuted cork, mineral wool, asbestos bre or other light weight, non-conducting material that can be spread, blown or laid in batte, as desired, so as to provide an insulating layer between the floor and ceiling. These ceiling panels may rest upon the lower flanges of the floor beams I9 but preferably are spaced above these flanges upon the blocks 31, which may be provided with notches or shoul.- ders 45 to hold them against shifting unduly.

The spaces between the lower edges of the ceiling panels and the lower flanges of the floor beams are preferably closed by molded cornice strips 4G, which may be secured to the blocks `:|11 by means of nails 41 or other fastenings, spacers 48 and strips 49 of felt or similar cushioning and sound deadening material being inserted between these cornice strips and the parts of the structure which they bear against.

These cornice strips overlap the upper ends of the wall panels 25 and cover the metal straps 315 and blocks 31 which secure them to the beams. If preferred, the metalstraps may be secured to separate blocks instead of to those supporting the ceiling.

The outside wall construction shown in Fig. 2 comprises beams 50 upon which the edges of the :door panels rest, and to which are secured blocks for supporting the edges of the ceiling panels 38, nails 52 or adhesive being used for securing the blocks in place. The cornice 53 is secured to the blocks 5| by nails 54 or other suitable means.

In the outer wall construction shown in Fig.

2, the wall panels 55 are similar to the partition panels except for the exterior finish 5B which is of weatherproof material, such as asbestos shingles, stucco or wood sheathing. The lower panels rest upon the sills or suitable foundation supports at their lower ends,` and are secured to the floor beams 50 by lag screws 58, which engage in the blocks 59 provided for that purpose in the margins of the panels and clamp their upper edges to wood blocks 60, which in turn are supported upon the lower flange of the adjacent beam. The joints between the panels may be The ceiling panels 68 are supported at theirv edges on blocks 69 which rest on the bottom fianges of the floor beams. Felt or other sound absorbing strips 1| are placed beneath the edges of the ceiling panels, between them and the supporting blocks 69, as shown. Nails 12, passing through the webs of the beams 64, 65, or an adhesive hold the supporting blocks 69 in place.

In the form of the invention illustrated, the ceiling panels comprise wood stiffeners 15, extending from edge to edge between the beams, and plaster board or other sheets 16 secured to the under faces of the stiffeners by cement, nails, or other suitable means, the sheets 16 being large `enough to extend the full length and width of each panel. Over the topsof the stiffeners a layer of coarsely woven fabric 11, or chicken wire,

coated or impregnated with metallic paint, is stretched and secured by cement or roong nails.

This construction provides a light, stiff, ire- 1 resisting ceiling, which has effective sound deadening properties, and adds nothing to the cost of the building. The beams may be additionally protected by plaster boards strips 18, secured to the blocks 69 by any suitable means.

The partition panels are preferably supported on the floor slab, as in the construction shown in Fig. 1, resting uponcushion blocks 8|,

Yand with the space between their upper edges and the floor beams 64 filled with plastic cement `orA sound deadening material.r Metal strips 83,

nailed or otherwise secured to the blocks 36 in the panels, and to the ceiling supporting, blocks 69, serve to position theupper edges of the wall panels centrally of the floor beams, as shown in Fig. 4.

'I'he wall panels 81, 92 are made in accordance with my copending application Ser. No. 252,650, and their exterior surfaces may be painted or covered with weatherproof material such as stucco, the joint between the lower and upper panels Vbeing closed with cement 94 or other hardened plastic material, as illustrated in Fig. 5.

the joists near the inner corners of the notches to prevent splitting.

Y Preferably the floor panels are held in place by clips or braces |06 attached to the floor joists and projecting under the edges of the upper anges of the floor beams, cushion blocks |01 being inserted between the adjacent facesv of the beam flanges and braces to absorb sounds and vibrations. This construction permits ducts |08 for electric wires and telephone circuits to be disposed in the spaces under and between the floor boards and joists and secured to the latter by staples |09, clips or otherffastenings. Holes III) may be left inthe webs of the Yfloor beams at-convenient intervals toV facilitate the placing of these ducts,

The ceiling panels illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 arecomposed of non-combustible sheet material III to which stiflening members H2 of vwood are secured by adhesive or other fastening means to form rigid unitary ceiling members having flat under sides to provide an acceptable finish for concealing the under sides of the floor panels. Sufficient space is left between the floor panels and ceiling panels to receive a layer H3 of mineral wool or other insulating material having sound deadening characteristics. These ceiling panels are supported along their edges upon blocks Illof wood or other heat insulating and Vsound-deadening material, which in turn rest upon the lower flanges of the steel floor beams. Cover strips H5, of wood or composition 'are nailed to the blocks H4 and ceiling panels, as shown in Fig. 6, to make an attractive finish. The cover strips and under faces of theceiling panels may be painted, sprayed, or otherwise decorated or finished in keeping with the walls and trim in the building.

The floor and ceiling panel structure illustrated in Figs. 6` and 'l is light in weight and cheap to manufactureV and install,` and may be made strong enough for residences and small shops and stores,` for which it is suitable. Although not fireproof,l the ceiling is re resisting, and the insulation is sufllcient to protect the floor Joists above from ordinary fires originating in the lower story.

One advantage of the construction embodying separate floor and Yceiling panels is the opportunity for fastening electric `du'cts'and cables to ,the bottom of the floor panels both for ceiling lights and for distributing electric current for lighting, ,powerl and communication purposes. The webs 'of the beams will preferably be provided with sufllcient spaced holes to enable these duets and circuits to be carried across the panels as desired.

In erecting the building, after the floor beams have been placed, the floor panels are raised to position and laid upon the cushion blocks or strips 20 and fastened to the upper flanges o'f the beams. Next the ceiling panels are raised from below and inserted one edge Vat a timein the space underlyingsthe floor between the webs ofthe adjacent beams, and the spaced blocks .l 31 are inserted from'below and then secured in place by nailing them together. -If insulation is used in the space between the floor and ceiling panels, it is inserted with the ceiling panels which support it. The partition panels are erected next and the cornices are placed last, as willv be readily apparent to those familiar with this type of building construction.`

My invention provides a light weight fire resisting floor and wall structure with a crackproof ceiling that absorbs most of the vibrations and noises originating on the floor, and prevents them from reaching other parts of the building through the frame and walls, It may be readily adapted to the a-rt of prefabricated and low cost buildings, principally constructed of fire resisting materials, and designed to'provide modern housing facilities on a large scale.

VThe low cost of the floors and walls made with panels embodying the invention, and the low cost of the steel frame fabricated as vshown by my Patent No. 2,086,669, makes this re resisting type of building less -expensive for dwellings and small apartment buildings than the ordinary constructions with bricks and wood, to which it is superior from many standpoints, including better soundproofing and flreresistance, less floor depth with a consequent less overall height and a smallerexterior surface of the building to maintain, re duced cost of interior maintenance by eliminating the cracks usually appearing `in walls and ceilings of the lath and plaster type, and the lower cost of heating.

The .invention is not restricted Vto the details cf construction and use herein described, as modiflcations thereof to suit other conditions and uses will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim as my invention:

l.. In a floor construction for low cost buildings, a plurality of flanged metal` beams, a series of self-supporting floor panels Voverlying the top flanges of lsaid beams along their edges, cushionmeans between the top flanges of said beams and the overlying edges of said panels for supporting the latter, self-supporting ceiling panels. spaced beneath said floor panels and overlying the bottom flanges of said beams,.and sound insulating and supporting means beneath the edges of said ceiling panels and the bottom flanges of said beams, whereby said floor and ceiling panels are insulated from said beams. l

2..In a floor construction for low cost buildings, a plurality of flanged metal beams, a series of self-supporting floor panels overlying the top flanges of said beams along their edges, cushion `means between the top flanges of said beams and the overlying edges of said panels for supporting the latter, self-supporting ceiling panels spaced beneath said floor panels and overlying the bottom flanges of said beams, and sound insulating and supporting means between the edges of said Vceiling `panelsv and the bottom flanges of said beams, said floor panels comprising unbroken layers of heat and sound insulating material forming a substantially continuous protection Y against passage of heat and sound throughout the entire area of said floor, whereby said floor and ceiling panels areinsulated from said beams and from each other.

3; In a floor construction having a plurality of flanged floor beams `and a floor spanning said beams and supported by the upper flanges thereof, a series of ceiling panels spanning the spaces between the floor beams with their edges dis- -pesed between the top and bottom flanges thereof and supported from the latter, said panels com-i prising stiffening elements and a continuous layer secured together to constituteV complete self- Vsupporting units, and sound and vibration absorbing means positioned between said panels and the supporting flanges of said beams.

f 4. In a floor construction having a, plurality of flanged floor beams and a floor spanning said beams and supported by the upper flanges thereof, a series of ceiling panels spaced below said floor and spanning the spaces between the floor beams with their edges disposed betweenthe top and bottom flangesjthereof and supported from the latter, said panels comprising stiffening elements and a continuous layer secured together to constitute complete self-supporting units, heat and sound insulation in the space between said floor'and ceiling panels, and sound and vibration absorbing means positioned between said panels and the supporting flanges of said beams.

5. In a floor construction having a plurality of flangedfioor beams and a floor spanning said beams and supported by the upper flanges thereof, a series of ceiling panels spaced below said floor and spanning the spaces between the floor beams with their edges disposed between the top and bottom flanges thereof and supported from the latter, said panels comprising stiffem'ng elements and a continuous layer secured together to constitute complete self-supporting units; heat and sound insulation in the space between said floor and ceiling panels, and means positioned between said panels and the supporting flanges of said beams to retain said panels in spaced relation thereto.

6. In a floor construction having flanged floor. beams, a series of ceiling panels spanning the spaces between the floor beams with their edges disposed between the top and bottom flanges thereof, said panels comprising stiifening elements and a continuous layer secured together to constitute complete self-supporting units, the transverse dimension thereof being greater than the clear space between the edges of the supporting flanges of said beams and less than the center to center spacing thereof, sound and vibration absorbing means positioned between the panels and the beam flanges to support the panels at their edges, and means disposed between said panel edges and the adjacent webs of the beams to maintain said panels centrally disposed between said beams.

'7. In a floor construction having a plurality of flanged floor beams, a floor overlying said beams and supported thereby, a series of ceiling panels spanning the spaces beneath said floor between the floor beams with their edges disposed between the top and bottom flanges thereof, said panels comprising stifening elements and a continuous layer secured together to constitute complete self-supporting units, the transverse dimension thereof being greater than the clear space between the edges of the supporting flanges of said beams and less than the center to center spacing thereof, and means positioned between the panels and the beam flanges to sup-` port the panels at their edges and maintain said panels centrally disposed between said beams, whereby said panels and supporting and spacing means may be erected from below after the floor has been put in place above said beams.

8. In a floor and ceiling construction having a plurality of flanged floor beams. a oor' overlying said beams and supported thereby, a series of ceiling panels spaced beneath said floor and spanning the spaces between the floor beams with their edges disposed between the top and bottom flanges thereof, said panels comprising stifening elements and a continuous layer secured together to constitute complete self-supporting units, the transverse dimension thereof being greater than the clear space between the edges of the supporting flanges of said beams and less than the center to center spacing .thereof, sound and vibration absorbing means positioned between the panels andthe beam flanges to support the panels at their edges, 'and spaced means disposed' between said panel edges and the adjacent beams to maintain said panels centrally disposed between said beams, whereby said panels and supporting and spacing means may be erected from below after the floor has been put in place above said beams.

9. In .a low cost, heat Vand sound insulated building having metal floor beams, a substantially continuous floor comprising unitary selfsupporting panels supported at their margins on said beams, and sound insulating means between said beams and panels, in combination with a ceiling spaced below said floorcomprising unitary self-supporting panels ysupported at their margins adjacent said beams independently of said oor panels and between the top and bottom flanges thereof,- providing a thin sound and vibration resisting floor construction.

10. A floor construction having a plurality of flanged metal floor beams and a floor spanning said beams and supported by the upper flanges thereof, and a series of ceiling panels spaced below said floor and spanning the spaces between the floor` beams with their` edges disposed bespace between said floor and ceiling panels, and

sound and Vibrationabsrorbing means positioned between said floor construction and the supporting flanges of saidV beams, thereby providing a thin quiet fire resisting floor for metal frame buildings. Y,

11. A floor construction 1having a plurality of flanged metal floor beams and a floor spanning said beams and supported by the upper flanges thereof, and a series of self-supporting ceiling panels spaced below said floor and spanning the spaces between the floor beams with their edges disposed between the top and bottom flanges thereof and supported from the latter, in combination with heat and sound insulation in the space between said floor and ceiling panels, and sound and vibration absorbing means positioned between said floor construction and the supporting flanges of said beams, thereby providing a thin quiet re resisting floor for metal frame buildings.

THOMAS J. FOSTER. 

